


Not Like It Changes You

by gillywulf



Series: Secret Avatar Korra AU [1]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, First Kiss, First Meetings, Friends to Lovers, Implied Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-21
Updated: 2014-09-21
Packaged: 2018-02-18 05:40:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2337200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gillywulf/pseuds/gillywulf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are some things you need time to grow into. For Korra, that's being the Avatar.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not Like It Changes You

The first time Korra realized she could earthbend, she squealed with delight. She ran around in the snow and stomped on the ground repetitively, causing chunks of rock to jut upwards. Like target practice, she used waterbending to shoot water at the earthen mounds. She jumped up and down giggling happily. Korra ran back to her family's small home, eager to tell her parents that she was the Avatar. As she reached the door, her parents’ voices reached her ears. She placed her ear against the door to listen in.  
  
"Honestly? I hope it isn't Korra. She's so carefree! Having all of the responsibilities of the Avatar would crush her, especially since people can't seem to make up their minds about whether or not they still want one." Her mother groaned. Korra could hear her shuffling around and assumed that she was cleaning. Her father made an affirmative noise.  
  
"She would probably be fine in the long run, but I don't want her all caught up in politics like I am." He said with a sigh.  
  
"Don't I know it. I hardly ever see you anymore as it is. Korra too? They'd take her away from us for years to train her. We wouldn't even know her by the time she was a fully realized Avatar." She imagined her mother shaking her head and stepped away from the door. Her parents hoped she wasn't the Avatar? There wasn't much she could do about that now. Her parents had already seen her waterbend. She could just refuse to bend the other elements in front of them. She could hide it, pretend it never happened. With a great nod to herself, she swore no one would know it was her. Without a second thought, the four year old entered her house.

  
\---

  
Korra knew that even though she wasn't going to tell anyone about herself, that didn't mean she could hide from it. The Southern Water Tribe had an extensive library - not as large as the one in Republic City probably was - and at seven years old, she went there to learn more about what it would mean for her to be the Avatar.

She sat down at a table with a pile of books, quickly becoming absorbed. She learned about the previous Avatars, their exploits and the problems they faced, and their animal companions. She frowned at the pages. She didn't have a pet. Her parents wouldn't be very keen on it either. What could be her animal guide though? A penguin? A tigerseal? She scowled and realized that she'd just have to wait and see.

  
\---

  
She'd just finished earthbending practice when she started hearing the noises. The sounds of a vicious animal fight intrigued her and she ran to figure out what was happening. She crouched behind a boulder and watched as a mother polar bear dog fought a tigerseal. The tigerseal clearly only wanted the tiny pup behind the polar bear dog. The mother was already injured, her movement hindered. With great effort, the tigerseal launched itself at the mother's neck and managed to hang on. The mother raged and bucked, but was unable to dislodge her attacker. Slowly, the mother lost her strength. The tigerseal seemed to realize it had won and released the dying animal. Just as it did, the mother lashed out with a paw and the last of her strength. The tigerseal went flying and smashed its head into a large boulder a few feet away.

Korra waited for either of the fighters to get up, but neither did, even after ten minutes. The pup began to make its distress known. Korra stepped out from behind the boulder cautiously. She checked the tigerseal and then the mother polar bear dog to make sure they really were dead and weren't about to jump up and kill her. The tiny pup yapped at her and whined. She started towards it, her hands held out in front of her as a form of truce.  
  
"Hey it's okay. I just want to help" she said quietly. The statement seemed to reassure it. Korra darted forward and lifted the small animal. It yelped as she took off back home. She clutched the polar bear dog, careful not to hurt it or let it slip. She burst through the door and held up the pup to her mother.  
  
"Can I keep it? Can I keep it?" She asked excitedly. Her mother, feeling a little ambushed, blanched at the sight of the animal.  
  
"Korra honey, we can't raise a polar bear dog, they're dangerous. Where is its mother?" She scolded. Korra rolled her eyes in frustration.  
  
"I saw a tigerseal kill her. And you don't have to do anything, I'll train-" she paused and looked between the animal's legs. "-her. Please! Please! Please!" She begged. Her mother's shoulders dropped.  
  
"Fine, but if your father wants her gone, she's gone, okay?" She said sternly. Korra forced herself to refrain from jumping and jostling the pup.  
  
"I'm gonna call her Naga!" She grinned, cuddling the pup. 

  
\---

  
She was eleven when she had her first crush. The girl's name was Aga and Korra was dazzled by her smile. They'd met when Naga had decided that she wanted some of Aga's food. Instead of screaming about the fact that a growing polar bear dog had just stopped in front of her, she smiled and asked Korra if she could give some to Naga. Since then, they'd met up a few times and Korra was positive that her crush would be sticking around.

She decided to tell the other girl about her feelings as soon as they were next alone together. Korra managed to find Aga scaling some eelfish by the water one day and she realized her time had come. With a deep breath to puff out her chest, she marched over. Aga looked up with a smile.  
  
"Hi Korra!" She beamed.  
  
"AgaIreallylikeyouwillyoupleasegooutwithme?" Korra declared. The girl paused, midway through a stroke of the eelfish on her lap. A deep blush spread across her cheeks. Korra could feel her hands shaking at her side.  
  
"Oh, ah, look, you're really cool and I definitely think of you as a friend, but I just don't see you that way" Aga explained. A moment passed where neither of them moved. Then Korra flushed a deep scarlet and plastered on the biggest grin possible.  
  
"No, that's fine! Don't worry about it. Sorry I said anything. I'll go now" She turned on her heel the moment the words were out of her mouth. A brisk walk and a stif upper lip took her all the way back home. 

  
\---

  
"Mom, dad, I'm fourteen now and I think I should go traveling" Korra stated at the end of dinner one night. Her parents just looked at her, then each other.  
  
"What brought this on?" Her father asked slowly. He leaned his elbows on the table to focus on her.  
  
"It's just- look, Avatar Aang and his friends went traveling and learned a lot of things they never would have learned at home. I just feel like that's what I need to do" she pleaded hopefully. Her mother set down the bowl she'd been eating from.  
  
"Why do think that?" She asked. Korra frowned, searching for the words.  
  
"I feel like my destiny isn't here. But I don't know where it is. I need to find it" she muttered. Silence filled the room. Her father let out a sigh.  
  
"Give us a night to talk it over, okay?" He tried. Korra grinned and nodded.  
  
"I'm gonna go take Naga for a run" she said shooting up from the table. When she was gone, her parents still hadn't moved. Her mother placed a shocked hand against her cheek.  
  
"Our baby's grown up" she whispered. Her husband moved around the table and took her in his arms. She pressed her face snugly into his chest. Slowly, he ran his hand over her back in soothing circles.  
  
"We're going to have to let her go. I wouldn't be able to face myself if we forced her to be unhappy all the time" The pair stayed motionless for a moment, and then began cleaning the table. 

  
\---

  
The earthbender in front of Korra sported lots of tan, toned skin and a suspicious glare.  
  
"But you're from a Water Tribe, how can you be an earthbender?" He growled. Korra put on the best reassuring smile she had.  
  
"As I said, Earth Kingdom dad, Water Tribe mom. I got bits of both, that's sort of how it happens" she answered. He continued glaring at her, evidently not believing her.  
  
"So why do you want _me_ to teach you earthbending? Why not ask your old man?" Korra was beginning to get frustrated. This exchange had been going on for nearly ten minutes. The man - Yong - had gotten her out of a tight spot with the local law. Korra's money was getting low and she and Naga needed to eat. The law hadn't taken the boot kindly. An earthbending battle ensued and Yong came out as a clear winner. Korra was astonished. As soon as the police left, she'd asked him to be her teacher. Only, it seemed rather hard to convince him.  
  
"Both of my parents died in a snowstorm three years ago" she lied. He continued to eye her.  
  
"You'd have to work my farm with me, not meet with any of your friends, and think about nothing but earthbending for at least the next two years. Can you do that? If not, go away" he huffed. The grin Korra gave him was genuine this time.  
  
"Absolutely no problem" she beamed.

  
\---

  
Korra didn't bother to find a fire bending teacher. She found underground fighting rings and learned many of the fighters' favorite phrase.  
  
"No better way to learn than trial by fire, eh?" One had said before pushing her into the ring. It hadn't been as she expected either. All of the fighters were supportive of each other and exchanged moves. They were highly competitive, yes, but they all grinned and waved whenever they saw her. None of them individually were masters, but collectively, they made her a master.

Her favorites had been a firebender named Mako and his earthbending brother Bolin. More often than not, they provided her with a place to sleep and eat. She helped out where she could or where they'd let her, but Mako was the definition of a mother armadillohen, so he often took control of housework. After almost two years with the firebenders, she left the Fire Nation for Republic City, knowing that the only airbenders in existence were there. 

  
\---

  
The night was just beginning to fall. Republic City was overwhelming and Korra found that after a week, she still had no place to live or work. The only food she'd managed to get was fished illegally from a park. She shared much of it with the bums, earning friends among them. Only now, Korra was tired. She could tell Naga was too. The giant polar bear dog trailed behind her with her head drooping slightly more than usual. They momentarily forgot their troubles when a young boy in red and yellow rounded the corner on top of a sphere of air.  
  
"Freedom!" He screamed through missing teeth. Moments after he passed her, a man rounded the same corner in the same colors. Only, Korra knew this man. The arrow tattoos confirmed that it was Councilman Tenzin, Avatar Aang's son.  
  
"Meelo! We are already late! Your mother will be furious!" He shouted, clearly at the end of his rope. Korra realized that the opportunity in front of her might be her only one to actually meet other airbenders. She had managed to airbend a few times, but airbenders were far less abundant to learn from than any of the other elements. Siezing the moment, she pulled water out the water skin on her hip and caught the young boy - Meelo - around the waist and set him down in front of Tenzin.  
  
"Unhand me water lady!" Meelo screeched, continuing to squirm. Acting quick so that Korra wouldn't have to continue holding him, Tenzin reached out and snatched Meelo by the collar. He turned to her with a grateful smile.  
  
"Thank you very much for your assistance. My children are all handfuls on their own, having three of them with another on the way is not easy" he confided. Korra laughed.  
  
"I can imagine. I was an only child, but my parents definitely had a hard time" Tenzin eyed her for a moment, taking in her scruffiness and evident exhaustion.  
  
"Say," he began slowly. "How would you feel about watching them during the day? I work far more than I want to and my wife is too far into her pregnancy to be able to keep up with them" he offered. "You can even stay with us if you have nowhere else" Korra almost couldn't believe her luck. This meant she could watch airbenders in action _and_ have a place to eat and sleep.  
  
"Definitely! It would be my honor!" she exclaimed. 

  
\---

  
Tenzin glared out into the darkness. As usual, he found sleep to be elusive. His family sleeping around him obviously found no trouble as their snores filled the room. Careful not to wake anyone, he extracted himself from the bed with a quiet grunt. The entire island was silent as he walked around in an attempt to clear his mind. Every night the children seemed to pass out from exhaustion.

Korra was not only keeping up with them, but they seemed to have a hard time keeping up with her. She was definitely energetic, Tenzin would give her that much. And the kids actually liked her, which was another thing. They enjoyed the air acolytes enough, but they were never invited to play with them. In the two weeks with Korra, they refused to do anything without her.

Tenzin was pulled from his thoughts as he got to the training grounds. To his surprise, it was already occupied. With every ounce of her concentration, Korra was practicing an airbending form he'd shown Ikki a few days before. Her movements were steady and sure. Tenzin blinked through his surprise. Was this a common routine for her? Why was she doing it? His father had told him about how some forms of firebending required knowledge of waterbending, so maybe this was a derivative. He made his way silently on to the grounds. She had her back to him when he spoke.  
  
"You want to keep lighter on your feet. The main principle of airbending is to be able to adjust like a leaf in the wind" he instructed. Korra jumped and whirled around in shock.  
  
"Tenzin! I was just- I thought it might be interesting- helpful-" her face flushed as she struggled to come up with an excuse. He gave her one of his best fatherly understanding smiles.  
  
"It's alright. Republic City is a melting pot, why shouldn't benders follow that idea as well?" He assured. Relief visibly flooded through her.  
  
"Now that form is a bit advanced. As someone with no background in airbending, you want to start more basic. Try this."

  
\---

  
"Korra! Korra! Korra!" Ikki screamed. Korra groaned in her bed. She hadn't planned to be up for another half hour, but obviously the kids had other ideas. Within seconds of hearing her name, the world's two youngest airbenders shoved open the door to her room, startling Naga who'd been asleep up until that point.  
  
"What?" Korra groaned as Ikki and Meelo landed on her bed.  
  
"Daddy wanted us to tell you that you could have a day off today, he thinks the baby's coming soon so he took a bunch of days off to stay home" Ikki babbled.  
  
"Sorry Korra, I tried to get them to wait until you were up." Jinora's voice came from the doorway. Korra waved her hand lazily, motioning to her not to worry.  
  
"Thanks for telling me guys, I'll see you tomorrow then" Jinora ushered her siblings out of the room, leaving Korra to make herself decent. Nearly an hour later, Korra was walking the streets of Republic City with Naga trailing calmly behind. She enjoyed the city. She enjoyed its life, constant streams of motion that felt like she was a pinwheel in the wind.

She stopped at a food stand for some meat on sticks. She loved living on Air Temple Island, she just didn't agree with the vegetarian ideas. She held out a stick for Naga and the animal chomped down on it. Someone slammed into Korra's shoulder from behind, nearly making her lose her snack. She looked up and found a man running, clutching a leather side bag.  
  
"Stop him! He's a thief!" A woman called out. With only a pause to hold the meat between her teeth, she used the most subtle bit of earthbending possible to trip the thief, causing him to fall flat on his face. She whipped out water to wrap around the man's ankle, but just missed by half a second. A car screeched to a stop in front of the man and pulled him in before taking off. Korra had just hoisted herself on top of Naga when someone grabbed her leg. Despite the situation, Korra found herself stunned. The girl in front of her was absolutely beautiful. With luscious long black hair and perfectly applied make up, Korra felt her brain reboot. When she tuned back in, the girl was talking.  
  
"That was my bag they stole, can I ride with you?" She asked. Only after the girl was mounted on Naga's back did Korra realize she'd nodded. She shook her head clear and urged Naga into a run. The girl's arms came around and clutched Korra's waist. The touch almost derailed her thoughts again, but they were closing in on the car. She let go of Naga's reigns long enough to shoot water at the car's back wheel and freeze it. The car gave an almighty lurch, but then she ripped the wheel entirely off, causing the car to go into a tailspin. She jumped off Naga, immediately followed by the pretty girl. The group consisted of what looked like two firebenders, an earthbender, and a waterbender. She took a battle stance, but decided to try peacefully first.  
  
"Give the nice lady her stuff back, and no one’ll get too hurt!" She called. In response, one firebender made fire daggers and the waterbender pulled water from his pouch. Korra shrugged.

"Suit yourselves!" she laughed, freezing the enemy waterbender's water. She gave it a heave and whacked him in the head, effectively knocking him out. A firebender and the earthbender charged at her and she saw the girl run at the other firebender out of the corner of her eye. She was almost concerned, but then she realized that the girl wouldn't have jumped into the fight if she wasn't confident about her own abilities. In the meantime, she ducked an incoming rock aimed at her head and whipped her foot out, ruining the earthbender's planted stance. He fell to the ground with a sickening crack and a loud groan. He was clearly out of the fight.

Korra, still sweeping her leg, pushed up on her back leg and let her already-extended foot connect with the firebender's chest. The air left his lungs in a whoosh and he too rolled on the ground. Korra searched frantically for the girl but quickly found her standing over the other firebender who looked out cold. She turned back to her own downed firebender and placed her foot heavily on his chest. He complained with a wheeze as the girl came over.  
  
"I'm sorry, I didn't introduce myself. I’m Asami." The girl smiled, holding out her hand. Korra took it with a grin.  
  
"I'd be amazed if you did tell me your name. I'm Korra." They shook hands and turned their attention back to the captive.  
  
"Why did you steal my bag?" Asami demanded. The man let out a few harsh breaths so Korra eased the pressure fractionally. He sucked in greedily.  
  
"We know you've been working on designs. We wanted to sell them." He confessed. Asami glowered. She opened her mouth to say something when a loudspeaker crackled from an airship overhead.  
  
"Put your hands in the air and don't move!’ Korra hadn't been about to put her hands up, but Asami did, so she figured it was better to be safe than sorry. An officer came over and immediately started asking Asami about what happened, completely ignoring Korra. After one explanation, the thieves were rounded up, the crash cleaned, and the two girls were sent on their way. Though she was surprised at the minimal amount of fuss, Korra said nothing. Asami pulled her stolen bag over her shoulder and turned to Korra.  
  
"So, I should really thank you for what you did. It was totally above and beyond. Can I take you to lunch?” Asami offered boldly.

Korra felt her heart clench in her chest. She was half in love already.

  
\--- 

  
Lunch turned into dinner while the pair talked and ate. They felt at ease with each other and Korra found that she could talk about her traveling. Asami was a rapt listener. She interjected at all the right parts and asked all the right questions. Asami was funny and thoughtful and to Korra, she was witty and charming. They'd been talking for hours by the time a waiter came over to warn them of closing time.

“We could drop you off at home if you want,” Korra offered as she absentmindedly pet Naga’s head.

Asami smiled, “I’d love that.”  
  
They climbed onto Naga and gentle hands wrapped around Korra's waist again, sending butterflies through her stomach. Asami's chin came to rest against Korra's shoulder blade and their bodies were pressed as close together as possible. The waterbender felt giddy. Eventually, they reached their destination. They both dismounted, but only Korra felt awe at the sight of the massive building.  
  
"I probably should have mentioned that my family name is Sato." Asami admitted sheepishly. Korra tried to brush it off.  
  
"No, it doesn't even matter. I mean, it's not like it changed who you are in the day that I've known you." She laughed. Asami flushed and bit her lip to stop from smiling too hard.

"Anyway," she continued "I still would have asked if I could see you again" Korra couldn't stop the hopeful tone from being obvious.  
  
"I still would have said yes" Asami grinned. For no less than a minute, the two just stood there smiling at each other. With a great effort, Korra managed to clear her throat.  
  
"I work at Air Temple Island. Come visit if you're ever bored." she said eagerly.  
  
"I will." Asami assured. Their stares devolved into uncontrolable grins for the umpteenth time that night. Getting tired, Naga took the fur around Korra's waist into her mouth and began dragging in the direction of home. Korra jolted in surprise and briefly scolded her half heartedly. She shot one last wave in Asami's direction as they rounded a corner.

  
\---

  
"So who is he?" Ikki asked loudly at breakfast the next morning. Korra looked up from her breakfast, confused. Who was she talking to? Every eye at the table was focused on her. She blinked.  
  
"What? Who is who?" She asked.  
  
"Jinora says that when people smile for no reason they're in love so I wanna know who you're in love with because the only people you really talk to on the island is us" Ikki explained. Korra flushed.  
  
"No- it's not- there's no one-" she stuttered. Thankfully, Pema came to the rescue.  
  
"Ikki, it's rude to ask people about things if they're not ready to talk about them," she turned to Korra, "That being said, please tell us when you're ready because we'd all love to hear about it." she said with a wink. Korra groaned. 

  
\---

  
Meelo was a fierce competitor. He maneuvered like a madman on his air scooter. Ikki and Jinora were airbending champions too, but they were too predictable. Meelo's short attention span made it near impossible for Korra to knock him over. She'd already managed to hit Ikki with waterbending, and she had barely missed Jinora.

She was aiming for another barrage of attacks against Jinora when she noticed someone watching from the edge of the grounds. The person wasn't wearing the same colors of the acolytes, so it was an outsider. She ignored them for the moment and took a double swipe with her water arms at Jinora. The girl wasn't expecting the double attack and swerved into one, immediately losing her scooter and tumbling to the ground. By luck, Meelo was crossing right behind her and rode directly into the small wall of water. Korra let out a whoop and pumped her arms in celebration.  
  
"You cheated!" Meelo cried, his hands on his hips.  
  
"No she didn't, you just weren't looking" Jinora replied.  
  
"Exactly. You forgot to 'be the leaf'" Korra teased. Meelo threw his arms into the air and ran screaming, calling out for his mom. Ikki and Jinora followed him, already arguing. Korra sighed and turned back to the visitor. Asami waved at her. Bewilderment bit into Korra's vocal chords, rendering her unable to react.  
  
"You said to visit if I got bored," Asami shrugged. "So I got bored." A nervous smile tugged at her lips. Once the idea that she wasn't imagining things sunk in, Korra beamed.  
  
"I just didn't expect to see you so soon is all. Would you like a grand tour?"

  
\---

  
Months passed and Korra - if asked - would easily call Asami her best friend. The fact that she definitely wouldn't mind kissing her was not important. She was nearly positive that Asami often felt the same way, but she didn't want to be the one to redefine their friendship. Even now, when the two of them walked down the street, hands occasionally brushing, it didn't feel like it was time.  
  
"I mean, it's not like I don't like Avatar Aang, it's just sort of a weird statue" Asami admitted as they walked. Korra laughed.  
"It's weird to see out your window at night, but I think usually it's pretty comforting." She was pretty sure it was the whole past life thing, but she liked to see Aang. She'd airbended and managed to contact past lives before, but they both still took tremendous amounts of effort. Next to her, Asami shrugged.  
  
"It does make you wonder though. Where is the new Avatar? I mean, they'd be around our age, right? Maybe you grew up with them and you didn't even know it!" She joked. Korra forced a laugh and looked away just in time to notice a man she knew from when she fished for the homeless in the park. And apparently, he was headed straight for her.  
  
"Miss Korra, hello!" He called out, his strange, gentlemanly accent prominent. She smiled at him.  
  
"Hi Gommu. You're looking really snazzy!" Gommu's clothes were secondhand, rather than the rags she'd grown used to seeing him in. He also looked cleaner and better fed.  
  
"That is correct. You see Miss Korra, because you fed me, I spent less time looking for food, an more time looking for a job. Which of course led to an apartment and all that it entails" he boomed. Korra grinned- she had actually helped someone.  
  
"That's great! I'm so happy for you! How long has it been?” Because she fed quite a few people, she couldn't always keep track of who was where.  
  
"I've had my own place for three whole weeks. And so, I wish to invite you and your lady friend to dinner, one which I will provide.” Korra shot a glance to Asami beside her. She received a nod and a smile.  
  
"We'd be honored to see your home" 

  
\---

  
It was late by the time they left Gommu's small apartment. The darkness spread over the city like a blanket, warm and comforting in the summer. Even though they were different from her home in the Southern Water Tribe, Korra liked to look up at the stars. Although constellations changed in every nation, they were always there. And on this night in particular, she needed that security. Asami walked beside her in a relaxed silence. It wasn't uncommon, but there were things she needed to say. The only question was how? She was startled out of her thoughts by the sensation of Asami slipping her hand into Korra's and intertwining their fingers. Korra gave a light squeeze and saw her friend try and suppress a grin.  
  
"You're incredible, you know. You spend every second of your time for other people; Tenzin's kids, the homeless, girls getting robbed" she said with a light laugh. Korra joined in and pulled her a little closer. "If you were the Avatar, I think you'd be really good at it." The compliment came out as a whisper, barely loud enough to hear. But Korra heard it. This was a perfect opening and she knew it. The streets were empty, so it wasn't as if anyone would hear if she confessed.  
  
"Korra? Are you okay?" Korra broke out of her reverie and realized she had stopped moving. She sucked in a rough breath.  
  
"What if I was? The Avatar, I mean," the words bubbled to her lips before she could stop them, "What would you think of an Avatar who didn't tell anyone they were the Avatar, not even their own parents?" She couldn't stop herself. The resentment she felt towards all her years of silence came rising to the top. Asami's thumb gently stroked the back of her hand.  
  
"I would think you probably had a reason for it. And since you're so stubborn and headstrong, you wouldn't change that decision for anything." she murmured, "And just because people wouldn't know you're the Avatar, doesn't mean you're not doing Avatar things. I think Gommu would agree" Korra felt the beginnings of tears prickling her eyes. She felt Asami's free hand slide up her arm and rest on the spot where her neck met her shoulder.  
  
"In the long run, it doesn't even matter. I mean, it's not like it changed who you are in the months that I've known you," she recited. Korra let out a bark of laughter. Asami _would_ remember what she said.  
  
"Can I show you?"

  
\---

  
The spot Asami took them to was next to a small creek in a park. The clearing was surrounded by trees, secluded. Asami chose a spot under a tree and sat down, waiting patiently. Korra inhaled and exhaled, shaking out her arms as she paced a small area. She rarely had an opportunity to bend everything at once, so she was a bit nervous. She settled into a waterbending stance and started moving. She cycled through each of the elements with deliberate slowness.

It was therapeutic. She refused to meet Asami's gaze, fearing that she'd lose her focus if she did. She performed her last form for airbending and stilled. Steeling her nerves, she turned to her observer. Asami was grinning, the expression lit up her whole face.  
  
"That was amazing, Korra. How did it feel?" Korra shook out her arms again, feeling control through her whole body.  
  
"Really good actually. We should make a regular thing of this!" Asami laughed and agreed. Her hands came up and soothingly rubbed Korra's back, attempting to release the tension she'd built up exposing her secret. Slowly, the muscles in her back loosened and she leaned into the touch.

  
\---

  
They stood just outside the gates to Asami's large house.  
  
"Thank you Korra, for telling me, for _showing_ me. You've been holding on to that your whole life- I'm glad you trust me." Asami said softly. Korra nodded. She wanted to say thank you for listening, for figuring it out so that I didn't have to tell you, for getting your bag stolen, for having a heart the size of a lionturtle. But she couldn't articulate any of it.

Instead, she leaned forward, and a little bit upward, and pressed her lips to Asami's. There was only the barest hint of hesitation before she pressed back. The kiss was slow and soft and said everything that Korra wanted to say. By the time they parted, Asami's fingers were buried in Korra's hair, and Korra was clutching the sides of Asami's shirt. They pressed their foreheads together to catch their breath.  
  
"Would you like to come inside?" Asami asked breathlessly.  
  
"Definitely” Korra answered, just as breathless.

  
\---

  
"And then she pushed him into the pond! You should have seen his face! I though he was gonna airbend her til next Thursday!" Korra howled, doubling over. Asami giggled beside her as they walked down the street. They rounded a corner and found a mass of people crowded outside, blocking all walkways and roadways. Their laughter died as they took in the sight.  
  
"What in the world...?" Korra muttered. Only then did she realize that the building everyone was surrounding was the City Hall where the United Republic Council had meetings. On the steps for everyone to see was a man with ice frozen around his forearm in the form of a knife. He had his other arm warped tightly around a councilwoman. The ice was dangerously close to her throat. The man's hair was in disarray and it looked like he hadn't slept in months. His eyes darted around the crowd wildly, unable to focus on any point.  
  
"I know the Avatar is here! If they don't show themselves I'm gonna kill her!" He shouted. The councilwoman squirmed in his grasp.  
  
"We don't even know who the Avatar is! We couldn't find them! Please let me go!" The woman pleaded uselessly. He shook her roughly and growled.  
  
"No! I know they're here! Come out now! Do it!" The man screamed, scanning the crowd again. Korra felt the moment settle into her bones. She knew she could easily swoop in and save the day, but that would mean revealing herself. But it was time wasn't it? She was almost 20. If she wasn't going to do it now, she never would. She turned to Asami with a soft smile.  
  
"Korra, please think about this a little longer than that" she begged.  
  
"When do I ever make thought out decisions?" Korra grinned. Asami looked at her in disbelief. "It'll be fine. I just hope you're okay with everyone knowing you're dating the Avatar." She pressed a quick kiss to Asami's cheek and after a 'good luck', began pushing through the crowd. Once she stood in front of the large crowd, she had the crazy man's complete attention. She held out her arms.  
  
“Well? Here I am. I am Avatar Korra”

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thank you gluekitsune for being my lovely beta. I can only ever seem to finish one shots. Hm.


End file.
